Chocolate Brioche

MAKE THE BRIOCHE

Make the Sponge

• In the bowl of heavy duty mixer, Add the yeast, milk, egg and 1 cup all purpose flour. Mix with a rubber spatula just until combined. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of flour over the top as if to cover mixture. Let this stand for about 40-45 minutes. There will be cracks on the flour surface at this point.

Make the Dough

• Add the sugar, salt, eggs and 1 cup of flour to the bowl with the yeast mixture. Using a dough hook, run the heavy duty mixer on low speed for about a minute , until the mixture is just about incorporated. Add the remaining half cup of flour and run the mixer on medium speed. Continue to beat, scraping the bowl as needed, for about 15-20 minutes. You will know when the dough is ready if it is coming together in the center of the bowl, and also attaching itself into the dough hook. You should see the dough slapping the sides of the bowl, like it is almost violently throwing itself to the sides white it still clinging and rotating with the dough hook. You should also hear the slapping sounds. ( If you don't see the slapping action after ten minutes into the mixing , sprinkle about 2 tbsp of flour to the bowl. Continue to beat until you reach the slapping stage , giving the dough a total of about 15-20 minutes in the mixer ).
• Now add the butter bit by bit. Make sure that the butter is in in room temperature, but not warm or oily. It should be pretty soft and malleable. When you add the butter, the dough will fall apart again for a moment. Continue to beat until you hear the slapping sounds again. This should take about 5 minutes or so. The dough is now , once again, clinging together in the center and in the dough hook with the slapping sound. Dough is sticky but shiny at this point.

First Rise

• Place the ball of dough into a greased bowl and cover with a plastic wrap. Let stand in room temperature until the size is doubled, 2 hours.

Second Rise

• After the dough has doubled in size, simply lift it in sections until you have gone around the entire circle of dough, lifting and then letting it fall back to the bowl ( like deflating it but very gently. Do not punch the dough down.) Cover the bowl again with a plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. The dough will double in size again

Assemble and Bake

• After the long chill, divide the dough into 2 equal portions. You are only going to use half of the dough at this point. Cover the other half with plastic wrap, then in foil. Freeze  for up to three weeks. 
• Divide the other half of dough into 11 equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball that is about 2.5 inches in diameter. To fill, flatten a ball using your palms until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Spoon about half a tablespoon of chocolate cream in the center. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, stretching the dough to cover the filling completely.  Seal it closed by pinching the edges together, then twist that part to fully seal the ball. Place assembled pastry inside a baking mold. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough. There will be remaining chocolate cream which you can use to decorate the pastries after baking.
• Cover assembled pastries loosely with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Let this rise at room temperature for 2 hours until the size is doubled.
• Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat one egg with 1 tbsp of milk to make the egg wash. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the surface of the brioche dough with the egg wash. Give it a good amount of the mixture but be careful not to let the liquid drip on the sides. Bake on the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the top surface of the buns are lightly golden.  To decorate the pastries, use the leftover chocolate cream to pipe some lines on the top of the buns. If the mixture has become to thick to pipe, simple put a chocolate dot on the top. Store them in a closed container at room temperature.

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CREAM FILLING

• In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped chocolate and stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted. Add the condensed milk and stir the mixture constantly for about 7-10 minutes, until it is thick and spreadable. The consistency can be compared  to a curd or pudding but slightly thicker. Let cool before using.